Sermons XXV - Wherein a pure heart is Blessed - Matthew. 5:8
the promised land He is leading His people to, because we have stained ourselves with the superstitious vanities of the times in which we lived. How fortunate is the individual who lived in those former times, when there were so many pollutions, and yet managed to keep themselves undefiled in their way! I may have lost more than others, but I preserved the cleanliness of my heart and conscience, and this is what brings comfort to my soul. Blessed are those who achieve this; the blessing of God is upon them and will certainly manifest in a glorious manner.
SERMON XXV
OR Wherein a pure heart is Blessed "Blessed are those with pure hearts, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8
We began discussing this sixth rule of blessedness in our previous session and will now continue. It is indeed a blessed thing to possess spiritual cleanliness in the soul of a person, a pure heart. It is blessed for several reasons.
Firstly, if we consider the excellence of a person's soul, the more excellent something is, the more valuable it is to keep it clean and free from defilements. For instance, if you have a piece of coarse
cloth, you may not be as concerned about keeping it clean compared to fine lawn or cambric. A stain on the latter is more significant than on a piece of sackcloth. Similarly, the excellence of a person's soul surpasses all other creatures created by God, except for angels.
Therefore, maintaining the purity of one's soul, keeping it unstained and free from filth, is an excellent pursuit.
Secondly, a pure heart allows a person to savor and appreciate the word of God, relishing spiritual and heavenly truths. Those who possess clean hearts are blessed because when they hear the pure word of God, their hearts truly relish and savor it. Just as a clean stomach relishes and savors wholesome food, those with clean hearts relish the pure truths of God. Conversely, when individuals have defiled hearts, even the most wholesome and blessed truths of God become tasteless to them. They lack the ability to appreciate and savor these truths due to the uncleanness of their hearts. Some of you may remember a time when you could better relish and savor spiritual things. Examine your hearts and you will discover that it is because of the defilement of your hearts. Perhaps you have defiled your consciences through sin against conscience or live in some secret sinful habit. It is no wonder that you can no longer appreciate and savor the word as you once did.
Thirdly, a clean heart enables a person to draw near to God in all acts of worship and enhances the value of their offerings. In James 4:8, it is written, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded." By purifying their hearts, individuals become capable of drawing near to God. Those with unclean hearts dare not approach
God, and even if they try, their consciences cannot draw near to Him.
They may enter their closets to pray, urged by their consciences, but they cannot draw near to God because their hearts are unclean.
Therefore, purify your hearts and strive for cleansed hearts. Only then will your heart leap in God's presence, drawing near to Him.
This purity also enhances all the services we offer to God. In Malachi 3:3, there is a prophecy that when Christ comes, He will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold and silver, so they may offer the Lord an offering in righteousness. You may offer many things to God, make numerous prayers, and assume that God will save you based on your good prayers. However, any offering presented with an impure heart is defiled and repulsive to the Lord. True offerings of righteousness arise when the Lord has purified the heart. In Proverbs 21:8, Solomon says, "As for the pure, his work is right."
Although the way of a man may be perverse and strange, the work of the pure is right. When the Lord cleanses the heart, even with its weaknesses, the work is right in God's eyes. In 2 Timothy 2:21, it is stated, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work." A purged vessel is sanctified, suitable for the Master's use, and prepared for every good work. On the other hand, those with unclean spirits resemble filthy vessels, unsuitable to be presented in the Master's presence. Hence, when St.
Paul speaks of the service he rendered to God, he affirms it was with a pure conscience (2 Timothy 1:3). He thanks God, whom he serves with a pure conscience, as if in the presence of God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they are fit to draw near to God, fit for every work assigned by God, and their purity enhances all the services they offer to Him.
Fourthly, a person with a pure heart leads a convincing life before others. Grace's beauty and excellence become evident in the conduct of those who keep a clean heart before God. Proverbs 22:11 states,
"He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." Oh, that God would fulfill this promise, making
the king a friend to Puritans! In the past, among all men in England, those known as Puritans, many of whom sought to worship God in purity, were considered the most despised in the land. However, there is a promise that the one who loves purity of heart, for the grace of his lips, the king shall be his friend. God has the power to make the king a friend to those who love purity of heart. The purity of their hearts will guide their conduct in such a way that the king's conscience will be convinced they are upright men. Others who have surrounded the king may have flattered and deceived him, leading him into evil ways that have caused much harm in the kingdom, resulting in the oppression and shedding of blood for thousands. Yet, the king will observe that these individuals walk uprightly, consistent with their principles. He will recognize their integrity in every aspect and declare, "I will be their friend." Let us pray that God fulfills this promise. Certainly, a clean conversation arising from a pure heart is a powerful means of conviction. It is not merely professing purity more than others but walking consistently and displaying the beauty and excellence of a clean heart in one's conduct. This will convince anyone in the world. People may speak ill of them, accusing them of hypocrisy, but let the world speak as the world does, according to its own understanding of matters concerning religion. You, on the other hand, continue walking in the ways of holiness with constancy, maintaining consistency in all aspects of your conduct, demonstrating the purity of your heart. Eventually, their consciences will acknowledge that your ways are better than theirs. Even those who have criticized you will recognize your honorability. Purity of heart is a mighty convincing force when it shines through one's life and conduct.
Fifthly, blessed are the pure, for all things are pure to them. Titus 1:15 says, "Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and
conscience is defiled." If God has sanctified your heart and you strive to sanctify His name in all your ways, know that all things are sanctified to you. This single statement is worth a kingdom, worth the world. The fact that all things should be made pure to those who are clean is a promise from the Lord. It means you have a sanctified and pure use of everything when you labor to keep your heart clean before the Lord.
Sixthly, those with clean hearts will endure and never become apostates. While individuals may make great professions and ultimately become apostates, someone with a clean heart who walks sincerely before God will persevere. It is like gold; genuine gold will not be consumed in the fire, unlike something merely gilded with gold that contains more dross. Such a gilded item will be consumed when exposed to fire, but pure gold will withstand it. Similarly, when the Lord subjects His people to afflictions, casting them into the fiery furnace, those who only make a profession of being His people and have outward holiness will be consumed. However, those with clean hearts will endure through their trials, remaining faithful until the end.
Lastly, purity of heart yields fruitfulness in the ways of holiness.
Those who keep their hearts and consciences clean will thrive and grow in holiness. In John 15:2, Jesus speaks of the vine, saying,
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." If any impurity has entered your heart, the Lord, through afflictions or other means, will purge your heart. This purification will result in you bearing much fruit. It is similar to children who are filled with ill humors; they do not thrive and grow. However, if you administer something to purge those ill humors, they will soon thrive and grow significantly. The same applies to many of you who do not
thrive in the ways of religion, who do not grow in godliness, and fail to bear fruit to God's glory. It is because much impurity and filth have entered your hearts. If the Lord would graciously cleanse you through the renewal of the Spirit, washing in the blood of Christ, and the work of repentance, you would grow in godliness and bear much fruit to the glory of God. Oh, blessed are the pure in heart.
And therefore, my brethren, this point may bring comfort to those whose consciences testify that although there are many weaknesses, their hearts do not align with the evils of the times. It is one thing for evil to be present, but another to be mixed with it. There may be dross, but it does not mingle with the heart. If your conscience affirms this, you can find great comfort in this point. Even though some sin remains, the purity of heart can bring peace to your spirits, even in the awareness of many sins upon you.
In Isaiah 1:16, it is written, "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil."
Then in verse 18, it says, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
When sins are washed away and one becomes clean, they are as white as snow, as wool. And now the Lord will reason with the soul.
You may reason with God, and He will reason with you when you have cleansed yourself and made yourself clean. Even if there have been sins as scarlet and crimson, when your heart does not mix with these sins, when you can renew the acts of faith and repentance, and when you can appeal to God regarding your sincerity and efforts to walk with Him in the purity you are capable of, it is not the greatness of your sins that your conscience tells you are due to weakness, sins you do not entertain or find suitable. The Lord will reason the case with you, and you may reason the case with Him. Blessed are the
pure in heart. So, strive to keep your hearts clean and pure.
Therefore, be vigilant over your hearts daily. Be careful not to let soil and filth enter your hearts, and cleanse them daily through the renewed work of faith and repentance. Although a Christian may keep their hearts from being stained by the gross sins of the world, dust will accumulate within every day. Oh, strive to keep your hearts bright. Some of you love cleanliness in everything, in the furniture of your houses, your stools, tables, linen, in everything. You will not be satisfied until there is not a speck of dirt on them. But if they become even slightly soiled, you are displeased. Look at your hearts in the same way. The Lord loves, so to speak, a neat Christian who daily cleanses their heart anew. Especially if you have been overcome by sin and brought greater defilement to your heart, do not linger in that sin. Never find rest and peace with your soul until you have washed away that sin in the blood of Christ, until you have peace in your conscience concerning that sin. I fear some of you may have consciences that tell you that you have persisted in some sins for a long time. Take heed not to remain in any sin but cleanse immediately.
And lastly, because I would now address the promise... Oh, how far are most of us from this purity of heart, and what infinite cause there is for shame and embarrassment among many of us. The Lord knows, and our consciences know, that there is wretched uncleanness and filthiness in many of our hearts. Oh, the defiled consciences that many men and women have in this place! You may be clean in your bodies, in your garments, in your clean linen. But oh, the filthy, disgusting souls within you! God sees your souls as filthy as a carcass lying in a ditch. How can you come into the presence of God as you do—boldly, presumptuously—when you are conscious of such filthiness? Men and women with corrupt consciences, who have committed many acts of injustice, who have
defiled their consciences for many years, yet they continue in it and have never made any restitution. As long as you hold onto anything that is not yours and have not restored it, all this time your conscience has been rotting and becoming more corrupt. As long as you persist in that sin without making restitution, if God enables you in any way... And then the consciences of men are impure, burdened with an abundance of sin. If God were to command conscience to speak, it would say, "Lord, this sin was committed against my counsel and advice, and I warned them against it, yet despite that, they committed this sin and others." And then there is the impurity of our hearts. Oh, what a filthy sty of uncleanness is found in the thoughts of many men and women! Within the thoughts of their minds lies the most abominable filth, and one would wonder how an infinitely holy God could bear to look upon such filthy creatures and not come forth in wrath against them. Even the best among us can find much uncleanness in our thoughts. Sometimes, when you have been in the presence of God in prayer, how have you defiled yourself with impure thoughts? How have you entered God's presence with a soul smeared with filth and come out with a soul defiled by abominable thoughts? And then there is the uncleanness of your will, affections, and desires. What desires have you had for sin, defiling your soul? The faculties of men and women's souls are as filthy as any cage of unclean birds. If you truly understood the infinite purity of God's nature, the holiness of His Law, and the reality of your own heart, you would abhor yourself. Some of you thank God that you have good hearts, but it is because God is not known, the holiness of His Law is not known, and your own hearts are not known. If you knew these three things, you would indeed have cause to abhor yourself. Let me ask you this: sometimes, when you have been brought to your sickbed, when you have realized that you have to deal with God, have you not had misgivings? When you have been about to enter the presence of the infinitely holy God, have not your
consciences reproved you for your uncleanness? Have not your consciences told you, "How can you stand in the presence of this holy
God?" We read in the Prophet Isaiah that, although he was a holy man, a man with much purity and cleanliness, even when he caught a glimpse of God, the angels cried out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" And Isaiah responded, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips." (And certainly, if he had unclean lips, he saw further uncleanness in his heart.) "For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." The sight of God caused him to cry out in anguish, realizing he was lost. If, then, God were to bring you to deal directly with Him, oh, the terror your conscience would bring upon you.
Those uncleannesses in your heart, though they may not trouble you now, may trouble you one day. It is like a chimney that is very dirty; if fire enters it, it creates a flame that is hard to extinguish. Similarly, when afflictions befall men and women with sooty, filthy hearts, those afflictions are likely to burn most intensely. I appeal to your consciences in this matter. Suppose God were to say, "Well, the whole congregation and everyone in the world shall know the uncleanness in each of your hearts. They shall know every impure thought you have ever had, every impure desire, every secret impurity in your hearts. It shall be known to the city and to the whole world." Would that not trouble you? To think that God would expose your innermost being? The infinite God knows all; His piercing eye sees through and through. All the uncleanness of your hearts is before Him as clearly as any actions you have ever done... And consider this, especially those of you who profess holiness and purity, yet God and your consciences tell you that you live in secret haunts of wickedness. Some servants, perhaps false to their masters and governors, guilty of secret impurity, may try to cover their uncleanness by showing great fervor in prayer and in attending worship services. Who would suspect them of falsehood or impurity?
The same goes for others. This is an abominable thing—to have an
unclean heart and think to conceal it by making a profession of religion. You take the name of God in vain in a dreadful manner.
Know that the wickedness of your heart will be exposed. It is just for God to leave you to the wickedness of your heart, to break forth into outward, actual sins. This is the curse of God upon hypocrites: they maintain much secret wickedness in their hearts for a long time, and the saints think well of them because of their profession. But this is
God's curse upon them: the Lord leaves them to the filthiness of their hearts and allows them to break out into scandalous sins, becoming a reproach that will never be blotted out... But we have now finished with this part of the text. We come to the other part.
For they shall see God.
The world might say about those who are pure, strict, and conscientious, and who refuse to go against their consciences, that they are ignorant and foolish, especially women. Even though they may be considered simple and ignorant in worldly matters, they will see God, they will know God. Their knowledge may be limited in other areas, but the promise is that they will see God, they will know
Him. Those who strive for purity and refuse to defile themselves like others are often subject to mistreatment in the world. The people of the world may outsmart them with their cunning ways. Even though the worldly people may surpass them in cunning, those who have sincere and straightforward hearts find comfort in this: even if they lack the craftiness and shrewdness to provide for themselves in the world, they have the blessing of God upon them—they will see His face. They shall see God.
To see Him does not mean seeing God with physical eyes, for no one has ever seen God in that way. God is invisible, and we must not
think of Him as having a physical form or shape like humans or other creatures. He is a spiritual and infinite being and cannot be seen with physical eyes. However, to see God means to know Him through the eyes of understanding and to experience His presence. Seeing God is used in Scripture to denote knowing and experiencing God. They shall see God in this world, and the cleaner their hearts become, the more they will perceive God. They shall see Him in glory in the future. Just as a clear glass reflects the brightness of the sun more than a dirty or cloudy glass, when the hearts of people are pure,
God's glory shines upon them, and there is a reflection of His glory in their hearts. They shall see God, as Augustine said, "O most sweet light of minds that are cleansed." He referred to God as the most sweet light of cleansed minds. Before we delve into the main promise of seeing God, there are a few important points to note.
First, the clarity or impurity of one's spirit determines their understanding of God and spiritual matters. It follows from the statement, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." I mean that a person's understanding of God and spiritual things corresponds to the cleanliness or impurity of their spirit. If someone has a pure spirit, they will gain a deeper understanding of spiritual matters. Conversely, if their hearts are unclean, their spirits will struggle to grasp spiritual truths. In Proverbs 9:10, it is said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Those who have pure hearts and fear the Lord gain true understanding. They possess an excellent understanding of heavenly matters and the things of God.
True understanding can only be attained through knowledge of the holy. No one can claim to have understanding without knowledge of the holy. When a person's heart is clean, their sight becomes clear. In Daniel 9:13, we find a notable scripture that highlights how the understanding of God's truth depends on the cleanliness of our hearts. It says, "That we might turn from our iniquities and
understand your truth." In other words, as long as we continue in our iniquities and defile our souls with sin, we will be unable to understand God's truth. But when we turn away from our iniquities, our understanding becomes clear, and we come to know God and His truth in a way we never did before. In Daniel 12:10, it is written,
"Many shall be purified and made white, and refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand." When God purifies the heart,
He grants understanding of His ways. On the other hand, the wicked, with their impure hearts, cannot understand God's mind and His ways. The understanding of a person is influenced by the condition of their will and affections. The state of the will and affections leaves an imprint on the understanding, just as the stomach affects the eyes in certain diseases. If no foul vapors ascend to the eyes, they remain clear and able to see. But in some diseases, when vapors rise to the eyes, they become affected and see according to those vapors.
Similarly, if a person's heart is clean, they see the truths of God clearly. However, if the heart is unclean, it hinders the understanding from focusing on God and His truth. The unclean heart turns the understanding away and prevents it from contemplating God, instead diverting it to things that align with the impurity of the heart. It is no wonder that those with unclean spirits fail to understand the things of God when their hearts obstruct the understanding from being enlightened and convinced. Conversely, when presented with a temptation that corresponds to the impurity of their hearts, they latch onto it, and their corrupted will and affections cause the understanding to be completely absorbed in it, thinking of nothing else but what serves to support and maintain their sinful state.
Second, the will has great influence over the understanding. The will can direct the understanding to focus on one task or another, to turn
away from one object or another. If a person's will and affections are clean, the will directs the understanding to meditate on God and spiritual matters, to fix its gaze on spiritual things. However, if the heart is unclean, the will turns away the understanding, preventing it from contemplating God and His things. Such objects are unsuitable for an unclean heart. Even if God Himself were to present Himself before a person with an unclean heart, the heart would not allow the understanding to dwell on God. Instead, it would turn away from God to something that aligns with the impurity of the heart.
Therefore, it is no wonder that they do not understand the things of God when their unclean spirits prevent the understanding from functioning in a way that could illuminate and convict them.
Conversely, if there is any temptation presented that suits the impurity of their hearts, they immediately latch onto it, and their corrupt will and affections cause the understanding to be entirely occupied with it, thinking of nothing else but what supports and justifies their filthy and sinful ways.
Third, the Lord takes no pleasure in revealing Himself to someone with an unclean heart. If a person's conscience or heart is defiled and immersed in filth, the Lord does not delight in revealing Himself to such an individual. The Lord sees that such a person will reject the truth. He asks Himself, "Why should I reveal myself to an unclean heart that will distort every truth presented to it?" As a result, in righteous judgment, the Lord allows them to be given over to those things that will harden their hearts in their impurity. There is a dreadfully severe scripture in Ezekiel 14:4 that speaks of God's reluctance to reveal Himself to people with unclean spirits. It says,
"Therefore speak to them and say, 'Thus says the Lord God:
"Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes,
according to the multitude of his idols."' " It is a terrifying scripture indeed. If anyone, even a prophet, comes to you with idols in their heart, maintaining secret evils, and insisting on indulging in certain sinful ways, no matter what is said to them, they will receive only what will harden them in their sin. "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still." When they hear the word, they will only gather what their corrupt heart can use to harden themselves in sin.
This stark difference in people's perceptions can be seen when they were living in impurity before God cleansed them. A person who lived in impure ways might have come to hear the word a hundred times, listening to attributes of God and the mysteries of Jesus
Christ, and the glorious things of the kingdom of God. Yet, they never saw any excellence in these things. They did not grasp the fear of God or have any profound understanding. They could live for many years in enmity against God without being troubled. But when God purifies their hearts through His Spirit, their perspective changes. Now, when they hear the word and listen to sermons about the glory of God, they see God in a different light. They no longer simply hear attributes of God but feel a deep reverence for His glory. They wonder why the whole world does not fear God. They realize they could live for many years in enmity against Him, and they would not want to return to that state even for a thousand worlds. They see how dreadful it is to spend even a moment in enmity with God. Why is this so? They hear the same truths as before, but now their eyes are opened. When they hear about Jesus Christ, their hearts rejoice at the richness of God's grace in Him. It is not something new they hear; rather, their hearts are cleansed, and their eyes are opened. There is a significant difference in the way they perceive things after God has cleansed their hearts compared to before. This highlights the root cause of the widespread ignorance in the world. It is not because the things of God are difficult to understand or because people lack the means to
understand them. It is because of the impurity of their hearts. It is no wonder that people live under the means of grace, hearing sermons, yet fail to comprehend the true meaning of Jesus Christ, as their hearts are so filthy and unclean. In 2 Timothy 3:7, the apostle speaks of women who are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. This can also be applied to men who are burdened with sins and led astray by various lusts. They are continually learning but unable to grasp the truth. Why? Because they are led astray by lusts and burdened by sins. When individuals have impurity in their hearts and are burdened by corruption in their spirits, it is no surprise that they fail to come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, do not think that your ignorance can excuse you, saying, "I act according to my knowledge, and not everyone can attain the same level of understanding as others. I am a weak and simple person, incapable of comprehending things as others do." Oh, it is not so much a lack of intellectual capacity as it is the impurity of your heart. The foul vapors that arise from your corrupt heart darken the light of truth, preventing it from shining into your understanding.